Despite the recent growth of social media as a communication and marketing tool, very
little research has been conducted on college athletics audiences and their usage of online tools
such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Data from a survey conducted on an FBS school's
football fans were statistically analyzed, with demographic and other data utilized in
examination of traditional and online media usage. The study discovered significant differences
in traditional and social media use in relation to demographic factors such as age, income, and
alumni status. Media such as Twitter and podcasts tended to be generally unpopular among fans,
while a negative relationship existed between Facebook usage and age. Analysis of these and
other findings focused on the reasons why certain media might be more popular among certain
groups than others, including consideration of the application of Ajzen's (1991) Theory of
Planned Behavior to future studies of social media in sport.